Tim, I do believe the V-rod Motor WAS a Harley idea, BUT they went to PORSCHE to help with the engineering work since PORSCHE had gone through very similar teething pains when converting the 911 over to water-cooled engines. Also, this PORSCHE, while part of PORSCHE automotive, is actually an outside Engineering firm that can be contracted by pretty much anyone (with enough money of course) to help with complex engineering tasks. The engineers still come from THE Porsche, but it's not quite the same as if HD sent a request to Stuttgart, and some engineer sitting at the 911 line is working on HD parts as well. PORSCHE Engineering is located in Weissach Germany (neat place), and they have a satellite office here in the states (I believe on the East Coast). It would have been THIS PORSCHE that did the design work on the V-rod, just like they did on the Tiptronic transmission touted by Volkswagen in their cars.
